In this way, the vast majority of the vengeful spirits' complaints were resolved. The remaining problems were also quickly dealt with by the giant.
Seeing that the Son of Man was still working, Uriel dared not leave early and could only stand by, but he still looked very unhappy.
So the giant turned around and glanced at Him: "Why are you still here? Why don't you hurry home? Or are you trying to throw a fireball?"
If that's what you wish for, then I'll leave. And if that's all you want, I won't come back.
Although Uriel was unhappy, his reaction was still compliant.
[However, humanity in this world hasn't improved. Ten thousand years ago, they followed Asmodeus in choosing to leave, refusing the Father's interference, mistaking torment by false gods for freedom, and locking themselves in cages. Even today, witnessing this miracle, some still yearn to climb up and become the next Mitra. What will you do next when someone masters exceptionally powerful technology and wants to integrate all of humanity into the power grid, leaving them howling and suffering a fate worse than death within the Matrix?]
"I will never let that happen again."
The Giant of Light spoke calmly, in Hayden's voice,
"Since you haven't left yet, then stay here for now. I'll show you my final spectacular performance."
Uriel was very skeptical, but he said nothing and waited patiently by the side.
Countless vengeful spirits were also waiting beside Him.
Out of curiosity, Hayden asked Raphael during their unity: "...Is this Uriel really an angel? I think he's quite similar to Samael in his cynical nature."
Oh dear, there are angels like this and angels like that. Just like humans, everyone has different thoughts.
Raphael couldn't help but chuckle.
However, Uriel was indeed born after Samael's fall from grace; she is Samael's second unit. Like Samael, and like you and me, she is imperfect and still needs to grow.
Well, that explains some things. But... […if I may be so bold, why hasn't He fallen yet?]
"I don't know. Maybe it's because He wasn't stunned enough to throw a fireball while we tried to stop him; maybe it's because He would obediently listen even if scolded; maybe it's because compared to a world of eternal exploitation, His motivation for trying to destroy the world was at least to rescue trapped souls, which could be considered a kind of love and justice." Raphael tilted his head. "In any case, this isn't something we need to judge. Hayden, you don't have much time left in this world."
In the very end, what do you want to do?
Hmm, it's time.
If the end of your life is just around the corner, and you could only do one last thing, what would you want to do?
Hayden had thought a lot. He longed to see Karen one last time, he really did. However, he had another matter to attend to.
If you were facing the end of your life and could only do one last thing, but you could do anything and have any wish granted, what would you want to do?
Long, long before Hayden met Angela, long after his parents had passed away, Hayden often pondered one thing.
Why did his parents die? Why can capitalists and large corporations monopolize and control all the power that can save lives, while making it unaffordable for the poor? This isn't a problem that can be solved by killing one or two capitalists. It's not even a problem that can be solved by killing all the capitalists.
Even back then, Hayden wanted to invent a magical medical technology that could be popularized, made accessible to the masses, easy to learn, not monopolized, and affordable for everyone.
Back then, Professor Albion had criticized him, saying that if he actually invented such a medical technology, he would be killed by big companies. Later, Hayden and Karen got together and started Dreamflower Company, achieving similar results, so Hayden stopped dealing with this matter alone.
But he wasn't entirely oblivious to the issue. Even during his time travel and his journey through four hundred years of history, Hayden continued to ponder this question.
Technological advancements were once one of the forces that could eliminate totalitarianism. When arcane technology was just beginning to emerge, the Old Gods were forced to relinquish some of their knowledge and power to mortals, ultimately leading to their overthrow by a bourgeois revolution.
However, when technology advances to a certain level, it can also become fertile ground for the emergence of new totalitarian regimes. In traditional totalitarian regimes, even the most tyrannical ruler can only achieve rule through others, which leads to inefficiency and countless uncertainties. Therefore, in the past, a truly totalitarian system has never existed... until Mithra, whose technological advancements finally made the realization of such a super dictatorship possible.
If the story ends here, as Uriel lamented, hundreds of years later, or perhaps even sooner, the next Mitra might be wielding new technologies to torment his compatriots in new ways.
Ultimately, while Mitra's tricks are frightening, they are essentially the result of genius and skill, including his eyes, which are simply the achievement of reaching the highest level of mastery. In a few hundred years, perhaps the dice will roll another one of similar quality.
Karen… Hayden believed her. But entrusting everything to her would be too irresponsible. Letting an absolute ruler with superhuman power rule the world, even if Karen's personality was much better than Mitra's, frankly, might not work.
One Mitra is enough; people are already satisfied and don't want a second one. Most importantly, a super-dictator can easily become a breeding ground for the next conflict.
And as the vengeful spirits said, many Capital Gods remained in this world. Hayden didn't intend to kill them all in his final moments. That wasn't the right approach. He had a method he preferred.
Since leaving was inevitable, Hayden wanted to stay true to his original aspirations and leave a final gift for the world. He believed that Karen wouldn't blame him for his choice.
it's time.
Hayden closed his eyes, exploring the infinite power of the Giant of Light. He heard the sound of water within him… He was that sound. The sound of rushing, endless water. He was that ever-flowing, living water. He was the declaration of that great will.
Hayden took a breath. He grasped the flowing, inexhaustible water. A shimmering power flowed into his arm and burst forth from his fingertips.
Then Raphael blew a breath, creating an ever-flowing, pure wind that carried the endless stream of water away, transforming it into light, into rain, into a luminous downpour that fell on the moon and the earth, on every inhabited place, and on every person.
He can now hear the voices of everyone in the world and feel the pain and sorrow of everyone in the world.
"Alpha, Omega; Beginning, End. I will freely offer the waters of the fountain of life to the thirsty; open the gates of eternity!"
This is a great magic that no magician could do, far beyond their capabilities. But in Hayden's current state, this is nothing.
The vengeful spirits around them couldn't understand what it was, but Hayden had just secretly spoiled it for them, so they were now watching with a mixture of anticipation and awe.
Uriel, who was standing nearby, hadn't heard the spoilers, but he could still understand what was going on, so he was even more astonished.
...So, let's get back to the question.
How can we ensure that everyone has access to the medical care, nutrition, and healthy food they need?
At the same time, how can we prevent a minority from getting rich and powerful, and from oppressing the majority?
How can we prevent the emergence of the next Mitra, or even a worse final producer?
Technological advancements and increased productivity alone may not solve this problem. In fact, Mithra has demonstrated what it means to rape all of humanity with the greatest technology and productivity.
Throughout history, thinkers have attempted to answer these questions, yet none have yet arrived at a truly practical and universally applicable answer. Even if one exists, it remains an ideal, a theory—something that has never been realized.
Therefore, Hayden's current behavior is definitely not the right answer, and it is far from perfect. Rather, it is a crazy act... If your friends saw this, Karen would be stunned, Panya would be shocked, Alastor would laugh out loud, and Abigail would probably faint from anger.
But Hayden still decided to give the world his final, capricious gift: his personal answer to the question, as his last mark on the world.
Goodbye, all the magic of capital.
He wants to give away the water of the Fountain of Life to every thirsty person.
--------------------------------
The AI created the Urielian form. Perhaps she will appear in other stories in the future, or perhaps she will have to learn other things in other stories... who knows, meow.
449: Until we meet again
On Earth, Sprout City.
Abigail opened her eyes.
Previously, because Uriel erased the primordial flame of all fallen angels on Earth, thus removing his immortality, Abigail was also caught up in it. The sudden loss of her immense power caused her body to lose balance between her human and fallen angel states, rendering her unconscious.
Normally, she would remain unconscious for another two or three days before regaining consciousness in a human way. However, this time the situation was somewhat different. When the pure wind and living water fell upon the earth on the rain of light, they also (and very enthusiastically) fell upon Newbud City. One of them landed on Abigail.
That's why she immediately opened her eyes, stunned.
She could already feel a new primordial fire burning at the heart of her soul. And, naturally, it was not the same as the fallen angel fire of the past.
That was a gentler, more satisfying, and never-extinguished flame than the secret fire of fallen angels who are always yearning and never satisfied.
Most people might not understand it immediately, but Abigail had been a fallen angel for a time. She immediately realized what she had received and where this gift came from.
This warm flame will forever burn in her heart, just as the Tree of Life in New Sprouts will remain evergreen and immortal.
But at the same time, Abigail understood more clearly than many others what this undying flame meant.
She looked up at the bright silver moon in the night sky and felt a deep sadness welling up inside her.
"...Hayden, you silly boy."
However, on the other hand, the dark witch had always known that Hayden was a simpleton.
——————————————————————————————————
As the rain of light fell upon the world, Kallen, Alastor, and Pania were rushing toward the place where the giant of light had appeared.
So, of course, they were also drenched by the rain of light. While Karen and Alastor immediately tried to use their divine power to block the rain of light (after all, they had no idea what it was), Pania was too dazed to react at all. Fortunately, the rain of light did not accept being blocked.
Generally speaking, there is no reason why grace cannot be refused. However, these showers of light still pierced through their obstacles.
What an act that defies freedom! Just ten minutes ago, he was criticizing Mithra's concept of "reincarnation" for not giving people freedom! Yet Hayden still did it. This must be his last act of recklessness, a final act of love imposed upon the whole world.
A story that began with demanding love from angels ends with the Son of Man imposing love on the world. It's really a bit awful.
However, as Karen said, wanting to save everyone... is the most greedy and domineering idea in the world.
Getting back to the main point. After being bathed in the rain of light, Kallen, like Abigail, immediately grasped the essence of this power. She could feel her divine power surging forth endlessly, born from a single thought, inexhaustible and unending.
So she was shocked, horrified, even furious: "Hayden, what are you doing?!"
The next moment, the giant of light appeared in front of them.
I have opened the gates of eternity.
The Giant of Light spoke in a voice that everyone could hear, in Hayden's voice.
[I have distributed the source of the Secret Fire to every single person in the world. Every single person, of course, includes demi-humans, orcs, dwarves, and even the various modified Coordinator gods based on human genetic mutations, and their children born afterward.]
This is an absolutely inexhaustible, endless energy. Besides that, it also includes a few energy utilization techniques that I've figured out myself, though of course, there's not much of that latter part. Too much wouldn't be good.
Karen was stunned: "This is bad enough! How could you just give everyone perpetual motion machines like that!?"
Because the scarcity of resources is a flawed premise, a tool used to allow a minority to exploit the majority. I abhor the exploitation of the people and their labor while refusing to provide them with fair compensation.
The giant spoke in a rumbling voice, as if billions of people were speaking at once.
When the nature of the means of production becomes an "inherent human right," no one—whether capitalist, ruler, or tyrant—can subjugate the people by any means!
[Everyone will be able to live a decent life, their basic needs will be met, and everyone will have access to nutritious food, clean water, and air, which they will never be deprived of.]
As the giant spoke, Pania stared in disbelief, while Alastor's grin widened with each word, until he finally burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahahaha! Hayden, you're even crazier than I thought! You did a fantastic job!"
Well, that's normal. Alastor has always been rather unacceptable.
However, Karen disliked this approach: "How could this possibly be a good thing?! Even if it seems alright, all of humanity will eventually be wielding perpetual motion machines and killing each other, and society itself will collapse!"
I've considered this; it probably won't be that easy.
The giant calmly said,
[Because the secret fire is the power of love. Without love, it cannot be ignited. Only when driven by love can each person's soul become a perpetual motion machine, and the greater the love, the greater the power. The more one acts for others, gives love, and is willing to give unconditional love, the stronger the power received.]
[There's no need to worry too much about methods like Mithra's use of reincarnation to capture people. Once the Secret Flame is activated, just like how you broke the cycle of reincarnation, humanity is no longer so easily deceived or captured. Furthermore, one person's infinite love can bring infinite power.]
Karen and Pania were both completely bewildered.
“No, no, no, no,” even Pania couldn’t help but complain, “Uncle, if you do this, it will only develop into everyone pursuing their own kind of love, and everyone will fight each other to the death for their own concept of love!”
Indeed, I also think it will undoubtedly turn out that way.
The giant shrugged.
War will certainly not disappear, and humanity will not stop hurting each other, destroying the love of others in pursuit of its own. We are far from a "perfect world"... But at least, the god of capital can no longer run rampant, can no longer form monopolies, and no tyrant can exploit and oppress the people anymore. Because each person represents productivity, because each person controls their own freedom... and those who say, "I love you ten times more than him!" will indeed become stronger.
Honestly, such a world would be pretty crazy; it's definitely not perfect, absolutely not.
However, now that things have come to this, Karen is not stupid and has come to understand Hayden's meaning.
What Hayden is doing now, in short… he's rewritten the world's definition of "strong." Those who plunder others' resources for their own enrichment are not necessarily strong, and may not even be strong at all. A large number of people doesn't necessarily mean strength, nor does an organization. Because someone who says, "I love you a hundred times more than you do!" can wipe them all out.
As for the definition of this "love," that's certainly not something Hayden can decide. Is it the standard of the Secret Fire itself? Is it Raphael's standard? Or is it a standard determined by a higher, more distant god? It's unknown. Of course, it could also be a cosmic law established in the beginning... Hmm, that should be it. All of humanity, after obtaining the seed of this Secret Fire, must strive to explore that hidden "law of love."
This is absolutely insane, utterly insane. But at least it's not stagnant or stuck in the status quo. At least, in Hayden's view, it's a slightly better world than the "past" and the "present."
...If only that were true.
【Karen, I can only entrust the rest to you. And Alastor, and Panya, all my trusted companions.】
The giant bent down towards them, bowing his head.
[I'll try to make this world a better place, using my final act of ruthlessness to change it.]
[In the future, many will surely deny and destroy the love of others in their pursuit of their own; such a future is probably inevitable. Please go and liberate humanity from this inevitable "exclusive love."]
Blindly believing in one's own love, rejecting the love of others as evil, and stubbornly insisting on this "exclusive love" with force are things Hayden would not allow.
Fortunately, because God's love also has its rules, principles, and standards, those who are closer to the truth will naturally be stronger. In short...
Even if I make mistakes again, it's okay. Step back, rethink, live on, live happily, and forge your own path again—that's what makes life meaningful. Let's give this opportunity to the world I love.
[It's not just love for one person, but love for everyone... There will be no fighting, all beings are without barriers, let's pursue the path of universal love—go there!]
This is really dangerous.
That's really being capricious.